Home | China | World | Business Guangdong to Add Investment in Environmental Protection FRI, AUG 31, 2001     Guangdong Province, China's forerunner of reform and opening-up drive, will spend more on environmental protection in the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-2005). In accordance with the province's plan on environmental protection, investment in environmental protection in the forthcoming five years will account for more than 2.5 percent of the province's gross domestic product (GDP), compared with the past five years during which the spending for environmental protection made up 1.8 percent of the province's GDP. In the Pearl River Delta, where export-oriented processing industry has been flourishing, investment in environmental protection will make up 3 percent of local GDP. Lu Fenglin, an official with the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Environmental Protection, said that market mechanisms would be introduced to encourage overseas investors andprivate investors at home to participate in construction and operation of environmental protection infrastructure, in addition to hiking fees for pollutants and sewage discharge in the province. Details regarding increased fees for pollutants and sewage discharge will be worked out and published by the end of the year,said Lu, who believes the policy of ensuring meagre profits will help arouse enthusiasm of investors and turn environmental protection into a new focus of investment for the tenth five-year-plan period. According to Lu, Guangdong Province has planned to build 49 major environmental protection projects from 2001 through to 2005,which will require about 40 billion yuan (about 4.82 billion U.S. dollars) and will produce great opportunities for investors as well. Editor:Guan CCTV.com Recommend to your friend email:    China Central Television,All Rights Reserved